Chapter 20 – A Powerful Shadow

“Young Master!”

When the black tentacles appeared, Lia felt a strong sensation of danger coming from her mind. Immediately, she tried warning Aiden, however, it was already too late.

Seeing the tentacles grabbing Aiden, Lia moved her hands to try to use her threads and rescue him, but the black stone seemed to know her intentions and another group of tentacles appeared to block them.

Lia gritted her teeth seeing it. Then, without hesitation, she ran toward Aiden with all her strength.

But at that moment, the bindings tying the group of boars finally were unable to continue resisting. Free from the threads, the boars attacked her. Lia body flickered strangely once the attacks reached her, then the attacks strangely passed near her without touching her body.

Confused, the boars tried attacking her again only for the situation to repeat itself. It was almost like if the boars were unable to calculating correctly the distance between them and Lia.

However, in the end, the number of boars was too great. Lia tried using her threads to slow them and advance, but a boar was successful in hitting her.

A shield made of threads appeared immediately before her and a thin film of light flickered around her body, but against the strong charge of the boar they were unable of completely stopping the attack and she was thrown away.

Coughing blood due to the strength behind the boar attack, Lia stood up shakily and tried advance again. The boars, seeing it, moved again towards her.

At that moment, the tentacles had surrounded Aiden completely. Unable to move or speak a word, Aiden could only see hopelessly how Lia was struggling.

The two strongest boars, seeing Aiden already trapped, turned towards Lia and attacked her.

Lia moved her hands and tried desperately fight against them. Though she was able of use her threads even better than before and the boars were unable of locking her position perfectly, at the end her abilities were more inclined towards the restrictive type, being unable of properly attack, and she was slowly cornered.

Finally, after a few minutes of struggling, Lia was finally unable to continue resisting. After being hit for the charge of one of the stronger boars, the protective film covering her flickered and disappeared.

After all, the protection the film was able to grant was limited before the core-fusing stage, so receiving the attack of a core-fusing beast, it was unable to resist.

With her mind hazy because the blow, Lia could only see how the group of boars neared her slowly.

Seeing the situation from the tentacles, Aiden tried to struggle out from, only to be restricted even more.

Unexpectedly, the boars don’t kill the injured Lia. Walking before her, a boar used the mouth to grab her clothes and drag her before the black stone.

Immediately, the stone formed even more tentacles from the black smoke and used them to grab the unconscious Lia, then, it began to flicker with a strange light.

Similarly, the tentacles surrounding Aiden emitted an ominous light as if confirming something.

Aiden could only see the situation from where he was trapped, unable of doing something but blaming himself for his powerlessness.

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The tentacles continued flickering for a long time, then, as if noting something appealing, more and more tentacles approached Lia.

With the rising amount of tentacles around Lia, the stone seemingly lost interest in Aiden and the tentacles around him ceased of flicker. Then, the tentacles began to tighten around Aiden’s body making him grunt from the pain.

At that moment, Lia opened her eyes. Lost for a moment because the blow received, it took her a bit of time comprehend the situation.

Half a minute later, Lia seemed to finally remember what was happening. Trying to move her body, she found to her surprise a huge amount of tentacles constricting her. Struggling fiercely, she could only observe her body being robbed slowly from her freedom.

Helpless, she looked around trying to find Aiden, but when she saw him, the scene in front of her was of the tentacles trying to squeeze him and Aiden resisting with all his strength.

“Young Master!!!”

Seeing Lia awake, Aiden could only smile bitterly. Unable to speak, he could only try using his eyes to apologize for getting her in this terrible situation.

With her eyes full of tears, Lia was forced to see how the stone slowly constricted crushed him without the ability to do something.

At that moment, Aiden felt something being drained from him. Frightened, he focused on feeling his body only to notice the tentacles taking the energy accumulated inside his core.

At the same time, the black stone started to generate even more smoke and directed it towards Lia. The black smoke gathered around Lia and then tried going inside her, but something inside her struggled fiercely preventing it.

It was as if the stone found Lia to be suitable and chose her, while Aiden was being used like food to strengthen itself.

This situation made Aiden even more enraged. The stone’s actions reminded Aiden of the ones that stole his spirit. But even with all the rage fueling his movements, he was unable to escape.

… How can I allow it!? Will it be again like this!? I refuse to be used simply as a tool for others raise his strength!

With even more rage clouding his mind, Aiden failed to recognize the changes occurring in Lia. At that moment, Lia was remembering the moment when Aiden saved her. Seeing his helpless situation just like when he received the boar charge in her stead, made the rage and hatred hidden inside of her resurface once more.

Just like that night, Lia’s eyes began to take a bloody tint and her hair was slowly being dyed of many colors. Her presence was becoming more ethereal with every second and a powerful killing intent began to surround her.

The situation was slowly becoming worse.

But at that moment, something changed.

*Sigh*

A suspire echoed in the surroundings.

Instantly, the tentacles surrounding them disappeared mysteriously and the transformation occurring in Lia was reversed.

Aiden and Lia fell unprepared on the ground, an expression of immense surprise in their faces.

It was because at the moment when the suspire sounded, a shadow had appeared suddenly in front the strange black stone.

The shadow had the figure of a person, but it was impossible to find something about his features. It was as if the shadows would have gathered around him for their own will, preventing others from learning anything about him.

When the silhouette appeared, it was as if the world became darker. A great number of shadows filled the surroundings as if this part of the forest was a different world.

After seeing this scene one word appeared in Aiden mind.

Domain!!!

The powerful ability only possessed by spirit sages.

Aiden felt the shadow looking toward them and thought it looked strangely familiar but was unable to find a clue even after thinking for a long time.

Sighing again, the shadow breathed exasperatedly and spoke with reluctance.

“Ugh! After all, it’s impossible for me no act seeing you two in such a danger.”

Sighing for a third time, the shadow looked to the stone while voicing again annoyed.

“Whatever. I think I will take care of you now I acted.”

The stone seemed to feel the danger from the enemy, because once he spoke it produced an incredible amount of smoke, many times more than before. At the same time, the group of boars what retreated before charged toward the shadow too.

The shadow, however, not even acted.

As if it were alive, the world of shadows surrounding the place moved for itself and pierced every one of the beasts charging forward. At the same time, it swallowed all the smoke being released from the stone before returning to normality.

Aiden felt as if the stone emitted a feeling of desperation after seeing that situation.

The shadow then walked forward calmly, going toward the stone and grabbing it with his hand.

The stone tried to struggle, but it was futile. The shadow only smiled disdainfully and threw it in a spatial pouch. Then, it looked towards the pair.

“Now then, what will I do with you two?”

Aiden and Lia could only stare astonished at the scene before them.